


Yes, But No

by kho



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Post-Movie(s), pre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:05:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7066357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kho/pseuds/kho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a little something I wrote post Iron Man 1, because I loved Tony/Pepper but golly, is that never gonna work long term.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Yes, But No

“I have… can I? I just. I have something. I wanted to get your opinion on… Rhodey?”

 

Jim lifts his eyebrows at him, smirking. “I knew it.”

 

Tony frowns, leaning back in his chair. “Knew what?”

 

“You’ve been pussyfooting around whatever it is you’ve been wanting to talk about for the past two weeks. Just spit it out.”

 

Tony’s mouth falls open. “I don’t pussyfoot!”

 

“You do and you have been,” Jim says, waving his hand. “Out with it.”

 

Tony grumbles into the dark amber liquid in his glass. “I don’t pussyfoot.”

 

“Tony!”

 

“I’m in love with Pepper,” Tony says, licking his lips. “And also, I think it was maybe a mistake to come out as Iron Man because now people know who I am, and it’s not like the paparazzi weren’t after me before—“

 

“Wait.”

 

“-- and I’m starting to get sick of all the puns on iron and steel and metal and red in all the headlines, and I just really think I shouldn’t have--”

 

“Tony.”

 

“-- said that I was Iron Man, and I know, I know, you said that to begin with, but still, I mean, I really kind of regret it now.”

 

“No.”

 

Tony finally looks up, frowning. “No?”

 

Jim shakes his head. “No.”

 

Tony looks at him. “No it wasn’t a bad idea to come out as Iron Man? Because you’ve been bitching about that for weeks and--”

 

Jim fixes him with a glare. “You’re not in love with Pepper. Please tell me that you didn’t just say you were in love with Pepper.”

 

Tony’s mouth opens several times. He wipes the sweat off of his glass, watches it pool on the glass table top. He listens to the waves crash against the cliffs below. “I think maybe I did say that. Sorry. If it’s any consolation, I didn’t mean to.”

 

“You’re not in love with Pepper.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“You’re not Tony.”

 

“I said okay didn’t I?”

 

Jim leans forward until Tony meets his eyes. “Tony.”

 

Tony laughs, hands flailing out. “I know!”

 

“Oh my God, Tony, I really just… sometimes I really don’t know what to do with you,” Jim says, burying his head in his hands. “Why? Why me? Why in God’s name me?”

 

“Because you love me?”

 

Jim shakes his head. “You can’t love Pepper, Tony.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You don’t do love.   You do fucking, and you do one-night stands, and you forget people’s names, and you change women like you do your ties.”

 

“I know. Do you think I don’t know that?”

 

“Pepper is. Pepper is… Pepper is a woman like no other, you are a lucky man to have ever found her, and she deserves better than you!”

 

Tony nods. “Yes. That is exactly right.”

 

“You can’t love Pepper, Tony.”

 

“I know.”

 

Jim points a finger at him. “Do you hear me? You can’t.”

 

Tony nods. “Right.” He nods again, and then leans forward. “Except I kind of really, really do.”

 

Jim sighs. “I’m just going to throw myself over the side of this cliff now, if it’s okay with you.”

 

Tony scrubs at his face. “God, Rhodey, what the fuck am I gonna do?”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr here under [@lovethesnark](http://lovethesnark.tumblr.com). 
> 
> Fanfiction Website  
> MOST of my fic is not on AO3, though all of my H5O and beyond is as AO3 didn't exist yet and it was too much to archive. It can be found on my website at [LoveTheSnark.com](http://www.lovethesnark.com).


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